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| A clay bird called Peckvillchen |
Francoise-Marie Thein:
the ancient art of the Péckvillchen (Pack-Fill-Chen).
The “Péckvillchen”, a
bird built with clay and fired at high temperature is an ancient Luxembourg
tradition. The little sculpture, hollow inside, if provided with a number of
holes will emit bird sounds, when blowing into it.
The technique of creating
these earthen objects can be traced back to 4,500 BC. The cultural tradition
has been somewhat institutionalized by the Luxembourg potters guild from the
Middle-Ages. The potters’ guild honoring the biblical Emmaus on Easter Monday
would gather for a mass at St. Michael’s within the old fortress of Luxembourg,
followed by a market where they would offer pottery and earthenware. The
Péckvillchen used to be the “hot” must have item. The beginning of the
traditional market cannot be traced. A first written evidence goes back to
1823, when it was suggested to move the market 100 yards up street to the
“Fishmarket”. The annual event is called “Emaischen”, derived from Emmaus. It
draws large crowds every year, and many buyers of the Péckvillchen are
collectors. It is true that some Luxembourg artists have taken the Péckvillchen
to new heights. With Francoise-Marie Thein, the Péckvillchen became a migrating
bird, nesting now in Florida.
The three pictures below show
the three stages in the process of creating a bird:
(1) The raw clay product after a first
firing at 1,730ᵒ F
(2) Painting/decorating the bird
(3) Glazed birds after a second firing at
2,150ᵒ F
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